After three weeks, as promised there will be three chapters; also, I wrote a one-shot titled "The Norns' Thunder" which is a little thing about Thor and Loki as children. ;)
Thank you to the ones who favorited, followed and reviewed! :D
SUperPsychoLove : I'm glad you like them together, I hope it'll be the case for this chapter too! x)
FANFICTION
THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF
CHAPTER VII : Purpose
[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants but he disappears from Heimdall's view and meets the daughter of one of the traitors: Eisa. She kept on following him but being attacked by a dragon, they needed to team up. Loki and Eisa finally decide to stick together in order to survive.]
Jotunheim, third day of Loki's mission,group of Einherjar
Týr sighed, looking around the devastated meadows covered in rocks and dust then glanced up at the side of the mountain that had been torn away from the mountain.
"Lord Týr!" One of the Einherjar called, running towards him.
"What is it? Did you find anything?" The War God asked, his brown hair ruffled by the fresh breeze.
"Black marks which probably belong to a dragon, my Lord," he answered.
His grey eyes widened slightly before a look of slight panic flashed on his face.
"No body? Nothing else?" He asked.
"No, my Lord."
"If a dragon attacked the Prince he wouldn't have been able to defend himself on his own," one of the Einherjar said.
Týr turned his back to them, thinking deeply. The golden armored soldiers glanced at each other, unease at the idea they had to bring the news of their Prince's death to the royal family in Asgard.
The brown haired god glanced at the pile of bodies of Einherjar and spies that had been found on the way to this place. Each and every one died of mysterious reasons and only Eir and her healers would be able to determine the cause of death. He grumbled, tightening his lips in annoyance.
"Something's wrong…" He murmured, unable to understand the situation.
The Prince was gone from Heimdall's view, the Einherjar sent to guard him from a distance had all been assassinated and a dragon had attacked the Prince. But no sign of him, or his death. A dragon would swallow him quickly, but something was definitely wrong…
"Lord Týr!" Another of Einherjar shouted, waving widely to gain his attention.
Leaving some of his men where they already were, with several others, he ran up alongside the river until they reached the path, that had been followed by the Prince, from the mountain that had been attacked.
"Lord Týr!" The Einheri, Völund, started, looking slightly panicked, "We found something!"
The War God followed him as he indicated with his finger something kept under a rock but still easy to find. Týr kneeled down, not far from the edge of the river and took out the bandage covered in blood, but not enough to worry him about the Prince's well-being. He smirked, chuckling lightly before standing, glancing around but seeing nothing of importance.
"That clever boy…" He murmured.
He took a deep breath then turned around to give his orders, "Prince Loki is still alive and well!" He exclaimed before turning towards Völund, "Take six men and follow the path he should have taken, as discreetly as possible. He is an entire day ahead of you but be careful to whatever thing might have caused the others' deaths. We'll use falcons to send messages."
"Yes, sir!" The Einheri exclaimed, giving a nod then turning towards the six men he'll be taking.
"As for the others, we're returning to Asgard!" Týr exclaimed, climbing on his horse and after a moment, the Einherjar that were to return were following behind him, on their horses.
He kept frowning the whole way back to the spot where Heimdall would bring them back through the Bifröst. If the Queen's maids were traitors and if someone managed to attack the Princes without being noticed, then it is possible the latter had followed Loki all the way here, killing off the Einherjar and spies that were on his trail.
He gritted his teeth, slamming the horse's bridle to go faster. Whoever the enemy was, they were dangerous.
Jotunheim, third day of Loki's mission
"If you don't eat, you'll drop dead and I won't drag you all the way to Utgard," Loki said, taking another mouthful of bread.
Eisa glanced up at him from her untouched part of the meal. She hesitated for a long moment, the man still eating and staring at her intensely before she finally sighed and spoke up.
"Can't we take another path to get to Utgard?" She asked with a little voice.
The jaw slowed down before ceasing to chew. Loki swallowed, frowning. The look of slight amusement was gone, replaced by high annoyance.
"Why?" He asked suspiciously.
She bit her lower lip, glancing around before leaning forward.
"I-I think it would be safer to go different way…" She murmured.
"The path we are taking is the fastest to reach Utgard. I am already delayed by that stupid dragon; I can't lose any more time to be 'safe'," he said sharply, his tone leaving no room for argument.
But Eisa wasn't the kind to back down and she continued:
"But—"
"And should I remind you that I am still your Prince and leader of this mission and thus, make the decisions?" He cut before he continued his chewing.
She sighed before frowning and grimacing.
"Who made you the leader anyway?"
"Are you really going to discuss that?" He asked, raising eyebrows in amazement at the nerve of that girl.
She shrugged before answering, "I will if you won't let me talk." She replied calmly.
Loki almost choked from the bravery – or complete stupidity – she had to speak to him this way.
"I did let you talk. You've spoke nonsense." He stated sharply, becoming more and more irritated by this girl.
"Would you listen to what I have to say? I am not proposing another path just for the sake of annoying the Hel out of you no matter how tempting it is!" She exclaimed, glaring at him.
He stared at her, electricity sparkling between them but none looking away. Loki kept his watery green eyes on her intense dark ones when he opened his lips, "Then for what reason would you want to change our path?" He questioned with a cold tone.
She sighed once again before glancing around, suddenly looking uncomfortable – which raised the god's curiosity.
"I-I think we're being followed by someone – or something…" She murmured, fidgeting her hands on her laps worriedly.
He frowned, his body immediately freezing in alert.
"Why?" He asked quickly yet quietly.
"When you threw me away the second time, I was on my way back to the Bifröst's site," she said, ignoring his surprised expression that she did listen to him (at least a little), "But then, I.. there was a body…" She breathed, staring at him, fear dancing in her eyes.
His eyes widened slightly but he didn't have to ask before she answered his silent question:
"It was an Einheri, dead. I don't know what could have killed him considering I.. I didn't walk by anyone, or anything. But it wasn't a natural death…" She said, looking serious and frightened.
He took a deep breath to calm his beating heart. He knew that his father had sent some Einherjar and spies to follow him from a distance, in case of something were to go wrong. He had been surprised none had come to his rescue when the dragon had attacked, but he had been too occupied with the battle to think about it. If no one came to his help, and if something – or someone – did follow him as Eisa says, did that thing kill all of the Einherjar following him? And what about Heimdall? Did he know anything; couldn't he see those Asgardians getting killed off one by one?
He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Something was off since the beginning of this story. It wouldn't surprise him that the assassin, that injured Thor so badly, would follow him. That attacker was using seiðr, which means he could hide whatever he wanted from Heimdall's view.
Which also meant Loki was all alone.
His eyes turned towards Eisa who kept glancing around nervously.
Well, he wasn't completely alone…
He didn't want this thought warming his heart, but he couldn't stop a slight beat of relief from shooting through his body anyway. He didn't trust this girl, but what she said was too much of a possibility to be ignored.
He would gladly set up a trap to catch whoever was following him – who was most probably his enemy as well – but it would take too much time to make it and wait. He quickly thought of his fastest possible paths to reach Utgard then got up swiftly, shrinking back the few items he had gotten out of his pockets.
"Get up, we're leaving." He ordered.
She blinked in surprise before quickly following him; his long legs had already brought him ahead of her. His stare remained right in front of him and she struggled to keep up with him, his strides much longer than hers.
"Do we still go to Utgard following the original path? I mean, I just said we could be followed, isn't it dangerous to keep going towards the obvious way? After all, this person – whatever that could be because—"
"We're taking another path," he said, cutting her nervous rambling off.
"Really? Which way? How long will it take us to reach Utgard?" She asked.
"We'll avoid the most obvious pathways and send illusions to the same path we've been following until now," he said, frowning at her from the amount of questions, "As for the time it'll take… Probably about two or three days. If everything goes well…"
He threw her a glare then pouted.
"I do hope you're not wrong. Otherwise I'll lose considerable time going this way, but I don't have a choice," he mumbled, calculating how long he'll have to gather information with this detour.
"I didn't finish my bread," she said, glancing down at the piece of food in her hands.
"Then eat!" He exclaimed, rolling his eyes angrily.
"Not while walking! Do you know what it does to the stomach? You end up swallowing air and then, you feel bad and then—"
"For Valhalla's sake, shut up!" He said, sighing and tightening his lips.
She snorted and glared at him. Silence fell on them for a moment before she smirked.
"But you're not the leader," she murmured to herself in a childish, sulking away.
He froze and glared at her. She smirked at him then walked ahead, laughing at his expression. He stayed still while her laugh resonated in the mountains. He observed her for a moment before sighing and putting a hand through his black hair, hoping nothing else would delay him any longer.
After hours of silent walking, the girl began to feel bored and lonely thus deciding to break the silence.
"Are you not going to tell me where we're going?" Eisa asked.
Loki threw her a quick glance before looking back on the path they were following, much more complicated and dangerous than the first one.
"I told you we're taking another way. Now save your breath, you'll need it."
"Do you even have a map on you?" She continued in disbelief.
He grinned and tapped his temple.
"I don't need to, all maps are in here."
She slowed down a little before slowly smiling, accelerating to keep up his path. After another moment of silence, she spoke up again.
"So, why are you here?" She asked after pulling at a flower and rolling it between her fingers.
He frowned lightly and looked over his shoulder at the auburn haired girl; she had a silly smile on her face as she observed the little pitiful flower she had plucked.
"Why would you wish to know?" He asked, trying to keep his voice from turning sharp in suspicion.
She glanced up at him then shrugged.
"To keep the conversation going?"
"You don't need to know anything about me," he said, turning back towards the road.
"Then, I'll talk about me?" She offered.
He was about to refuse but she ran to be at his level and started talking before he could tell her to keep her mouth shut.
"I grew up in Asgard with my parents and my older sister. My mother is Asgardian and my father a Vanr. But he died in one of those battles against the Mountain Giants."
She frowned, her expression forlorn and dark.
"Sounds like those Giants have a gift in taking away what is precious for me…" She murmured.
Loki glanced at her but didn't say a thing.
She took a deep breath and continued, "My mother started working for Queen Frigga when I was very young and my sister is also one of the maids of the Palace."
"But not you?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"No, I've always admired Lady Sif for working so hard and becoming a warrior without joining the Valkyrie! I want to become like her!" She exclaimed, her eyes gleaming happily. The young prince couldn't help but chuckle at her excited expression.
"If you were joining the Valkyrie, you would be a warrior much faster than if you had to convince the Nine Worlds that you are worthy of your sword." He commented.
She turned towards him, looking suddenly serious.
"But I don't see why I should have to convince anyone as long as I can fight for Asgard, woman or not. Plus, I enjoy the company of men and I don't want to give up on that!" She added with a wink.
Loki froze in his steps, warmth bubbling inside of him before he frowned and growled, keeping his pace while she ignored his troubled expression.
"I'm a very patient woman. It'll take the time it needs, but my dreams will come true," she added with a sweet smile.
He snorted then shrugged.
"You have some confidence in your capacities, I'll admit it." He said, glancing around to make sure there wasn't anything or anyone following them.
"What about you? What do you want to become?" She asked, sounding genuinely curious.
He froze and threw a hard look at her. She froze as well and paled, swallowing when she realized how stupid of a question it was.
"Sorry… I guess you don't have much of a choice…"
After a tense moment of silence in which they started walking once again, she spoke up again, "If you could do anything at all, if you had the choice, what would it be?" She asked.
He forced himself not to look at the girl, focusing on his steps.
"It doesn't matter. I am a Prince of Asgard and dreaming about meaningless possibilities that will never happen isn't worth my time," he answered sharply.
She observed him in silence but when he started to think she had dropped the conversation, she spoke up again.
"If you could choose any path for your life, if you weren't a prince, do you think you would be good for Asgard's sake? Would you rather save it or destroy it?"
He turned around to her so suddenly she bumped into him and remained only a few inches from him. His lips were hanging open in shock and he was frowning, looking completely astonished.
"How can you even ask such a thing?! I will always save Asgard! Prince or not!" he exclaimed.
She didn't glance away, her intense gaze fighting his. Electricity rose between the two, none of them willing to give up this staring contest.
"Now… I have to ask you if you would rather work for Asgard's safety or its destruction?" He asked in a low dark voice.
She continued staring at him, her gaze unflinching until she finally smiled sadly, a sudden scared light flickering in her bright green eyes.
"I don't know…" She breathed, her voice trembling lightly, "A few days ago, I would have fought with my life for Asgard but…"
His eyes hardened and she finally lowered her gaze, staring at emptiness.
"But after what happened to my mother and what Odin did to my sister…" She murmured.
Loki blinked and he felt suddenly uncomfortable at the turn that was taking the conversation.
"Your sister? What happened to her?" He asked.
She looked back up at him, frowning lightly, not understanding.
"Don't you know…?" She whispered, tilting her head in confusion.
"What happened?" He asked, more urgently.
She didn't answer for a long moment, staring at him hesitantly but finally, her trembling lips opened:
"She.. after the attack against the Queen… Odin ordered the Einherjar to arrest the families of all the 'spies'…"
Loki's face remained expressionless but his eyes flickered, suddenly understanding why she was so determined to go all the way to Utgard to find out the truth. If she was right and her mother had been used like any tool, then her sister - and all the other people arrested - will be declared innocent and freed. She was not only trying to redeem her mother, but to save her sister as well. Just like Loki was trying to protect and save his family…
"T-that's why.." She started.
"Not another word." He cut sharply.
She stared at him in astonishment at his sudden tone, feeling more shaken than she should have. He turned his back to her, barely keeping a sigh from escaping his lips before speaking up once again:
"I'll make sure you'll make it back to Asgard. And if what you are saying is true and your mother is just a victim, I'll personally free your sister from her cell." He said before starting to walk once again.
She stared at him, completely frozen and mouth wide open before grinning and running after him.
"Thank you!" she exclaimed brightly.
He glanced at her just long enough to see how bright she looked before looking away. His only answer was a disdainful snort but, even to him, it didn't sound convincing.
I hope you liked it so far, and I hope Loki isn't too OOC but once again, it's long before he became so bitter and vengeful.
Tell me what you think in reviews please! :D
NEXT CHAPTER : CROSSWAY
Yours Truly,
May